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Union Budget to push development works in Uttar Pradesh: Pankaj Chaudhary
Addressing media persons at the BJP headquarters here, Chaudhary highlighted the budget’s provisions on high-speed rail corridors, a freight corridor, waterways and defence infrastructure, saying these would give fresh momentum to the state’s development.
Calling the Union Budget a “visionary document” aligned with the goal of a developed India by 2047, BJP state president and Union minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary on Tuesday said it would significantly accelerate infrastructure, connectivity and defence-linked projects in Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing media persons at the BJP headquarters here, Chaudhary highlighted the budget’s provisions on high-speed rail corridors, a freight corridor, waterways and defence infrastructure, saying these would give fresh momentum to the state’s development.
“Seven new high-speed rail corridors have been gifted to the country, of which the Delhi-Varanasi and Varanasi-Siliguri corridors will particularly benefit Uttar Pradesh. The state will receive financial support of approximately ₹4.18 lakh crore under central assistance, tax devolution, and CSS, which will give new momentum to the state’s development works.
These projects will help connect major cities like Noida, Agra, Lucknow, Prayagraj, and Varanasi at high speed, reducing travel time, promoting tourism, and accelerating economic activity,” he added.
He also pointed out that it had been decided to construct a dedicated freight corridor from Dankuni in the east to Surat in the west, a significant part of which would be in UP.
“Twenty new waterways will be launched in the next five years, making logistics more cost-effective. The development of a vessel and ship repair centre in Varanasi will create new employment opportunities at the local level,” he added.
The BJP state chief noted that in UP, historical and environmentally significant sites like Sarnath and Hastinapur would be developed as experiential tourism centres, promoting both domestic and international tourism.
Chaudhary also underlined the development of City Economic Regions in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities with a population of over five lakh, with an expenditure of up to ₹5,000 crore per city over the next five years.
In the first budget after Operation Sindoor, the BJP chief pointed out that the defence allocation had been increased to ₹7.85 lakh crore (15%). “Of this, ₹2.19 lakh crore has been earmarked for defence infrastructure, which will further strengthen the country’s military power and self-reliant capabilities,” he said, adding there would be projects in the state’s defence corridor.
“Over the past 11 years, the Modi government has consistently focused on public welfare, innovation, economic growth, job creation, and inclusive development,” Chaudhary said, adding that the government, considering infrastructure as the backbone of the economy, had made the most consistent and robust investment in this sector to date.
“While the infrastructure budget was only ₹2 lakh crore in 2014-15, it has been increased in a phased manner to ₹12.2 lakh crore, which is a historic achievement in itself,” Chaudhary said.
